The Joy Of Retail

Despite needing to work today, I had to go into my nearest city to take my iPad in for repair. Unfortunately it had been involved in a minor accident with my wife’s foot!

My son had also received a commendation certificate at school and so we decided to reward him with a toy. My son knew exactly what he wanted and so we jumped on the train and headed to the shopping centre to kill 2 birds with one stone.

It is this shopping mission that has led me to write this article. Such a simple transaction has led to some key observations.

Stood outside the Lego store on a Sunday morning, I was surprised to see a large crowd had gathered. There must have been 30 people stood outside, children’s eye wide with anticipation and excitement. The store was due open in 2 minutes.

The store was immaculate and merchandised to a high standard. The window had enough in it to keep the little ones amused and entertained.

Soon, the staff filed out from the back room and they all beamed with genuine smiles to see the excited children at the door. For some, it may have been the morning after the night before but the warmth and enthusiasm was clear.

Those who have worked in a store full of customer with children will know that it often takes the patience of a saint! To do it work in that environment with a smile on your face all day every day takes something special!

It goes without saying that Lego have an amazing product. By the time we left the store there were probably 60 people in there.

What brings the magic alive is the people in store that are on hand to answer questions, be happy and make small talk at the till (I know! Who would have thought it! Small talk with a customer).

Hats off to Lego. A good store, well executed with great staff is sadly a rarity these days. This is indeed the joy of retail, seeing happy shoppers.

There was certainly room for improvement in order to drive growth but that can be left for another time.